


When You're Overwhelmed

by EchoSiriusRumme



Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bonding, Collars, F/M, Hurt Natasha, Past Kidnapping, Sensory Overload, Sentinel/Guide, Whumptober 2020, bondmates, whumptober day 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:20:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26777269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoSiriusRumme/pseuds/EchoSiriusRumme
Summary: Natasha was captured by an anti-Sentinel group and tortured with sensory overload, so much that Tony can't get through at first.  But seeing his bonded in such agony is a helluva motivator.
Relationships: Natasha Romanov/Tony Stark
Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948738
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	When You're Overwhelmed

**Author's Note:**

> The first time I've written this ship and this AU, so I hope I did it justice! Enjoy! :)

Tony paced around the Hulk containment room, biting at his nails anxiously as he watched the person within. Natasha - his beautiful, deadly Natasha - was still tossing and turning on the bed they had placed her on over three hours ago. His heart broke even more at her wrists being rubbed raw from the restraints, and he wished he could go in and help his Sentinel.

But when they had rescued her from those anti-Sentinel thugs, she had been feral. They didn’t know the details, but Natasha had been completely overstimulated. They had found her curled up in a corner, eyes wild and unfocused, snarling and swiping at things that only she could see. 

They realized quickly that the collar they had placed on her neck was to keep her in that state, so that she had no chance of coming out of the zone. Tony had tried to reach out to her immediately, but there had been a block between their bond, probably from the collar as well. When Tony had walked closer to her, to see if the distance was the problem, she had focused on his arc reactor and attacked.

Thank god for his armor, but even so, it had taken Steve _and_ Bucky to pull her off of him. They had blindfolded her and placed silencing headphones over her ears in an attempt to sooth those senses, but she didn’t calm down until they made it to medical and sedated her. It had been a tense flight back to the Avengers Tower, and they had made the hard decision to put Natasha into the containment room until they figured out a way to help her.

Tony had started out helping Bruce, desperate for a way to bring his Sentinel out of her zone. But after hours spent pouring over research and methods for a Guide to use to balance their Sentinel, they decided to take a break. Tony had gone to replace Clint in watching over Natasha, and unfortunately there had been no change yet.

Tony sighed heavily, pausing next to the window closest to Natasha and took her in. There were dark bags under her eyes, and when she shouted in frustration and agony, her voice was so scratchy and rough it made Tony wince. Even with the restraints around her wrists and ankles being soft, he could see her skin was red from pulling against them for so long. Her hair was matted with sweat, and Tony felt his resolve snap when he noticed tears leaking down the side of her face.

Entering the code for the Hulk room, Tony strode inside with purpose, ignoring his teammate’s voices that came over the intercom a few seconds later. “Tony, stop! She’s unstable, wait for backup!” Steve said, and though he wasn’t lying, a wave of fury swept through Tony.

“I need to at least try! I’m her Guide!” Tony called back, making his way to Natasha’s bedside. He looked at her, heart clenching when she focused that sharp gaze on his arc reactor again. Her energy was all over the place, no longer balanced by Tony’s shields and the same fury filled him again. They dared to hurt Natasha, but he wouldn’t let their attack be a success.

Tony nudged at her mind, but she was incredibly resistant, no doubt because of what her captors had done. Taking a chance, Tony placed his hands on the side of her face, keeping an eye on the restraints when she made a renewed effort to attack him.

With the skin-to-skin contact, fear and love coursing through him, Tony was _finally_ able to reach into her mind and find the tie that bound them together. His eyes fell closed as he rebuilt shields around that, caressing the emotions still running rampant across her mind. He soothed each burst of energy until he could safely settle it behind another layer of protection and love, feeling the tension leak out of his bondmate little by little.

By the time Tony was finished, placing one last shield around Natasha’s mind, he was absolutely exhausted. But opening his eyes to see Natasha gazing back at him, eyes clear and warm made it all worth it. “Welcome back love,” he whispered, swaying forward - not entirely on purpose - to lay a kiss on her lips. Tony unstrapped the restraints from her arms and legs, and climbed onto the bed with her when she motioned at him. He curled himself around her, idly playing with her hair, and allowed himself to relax, his Sentinel safe and sound once again.


End file.
